Leading Edge Group Receive Visit From Canadian Ambassador to Ireland

Photograph by Darragh Kane (darragh@darraghkane.com)

Leading Edge Group, the foremost international provider of continuous improvement business processes received an official visit from His Excellency, Loyola Hearn, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, to mark five years of the Group in the Canadian market on Friday afternoon.  Deputy Mayor Cllr. Paddy Whitty was also in attendance as was Cobh & Harbour Chamber President John Sweeney, Develop Manager for Cobh & Haabour Chamber Jo English and Suzanne Cormie Chief Trade Commissioner for Canada.

The Canadian Ambassador?s visit coincides with Leading Edge Group’s announcement of several major contract awards combined in their Canadian territories. Leading Edge Group, based in Cobh, expanded into Canada five years ago and has experienced a successful and rapid roll-out of ‘Lean’ facilitation and continuous improvement consultancy and training into various market sectors there.

Leading Edge Group’s CEO Joe Aherne said ‘We are delighted and honoured to receive His Excellency, Loyola Hearn, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland at our HQ in Cobh today, it is especially important as it marks the fifth anniversary of Leading Edge Group in Canada. We have established ourselves at the forefront of the market there in the provision of continuous improvement particularly in the healthcare sector. Our market penetration in Canada continues to increase with the recent securing of several major contracts with recognised brands such as Tim Horton’s, Canadian Association of Pathologists, Toyota Dealerships, Ministry of Health Alberta and the Northern Health Authority?.

Joe presented the Ambassador with a Limited Edition Philip Gray Print entitled ‘Cobh by the Sea’, he also presented a statue of Annie moore and her brothers to Suzanne L Cormie, Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner to Canada who was accompanying the ambassador on his visit.

The Ambassador thanked Joe and his staff for the kind welcome he had received.  He said “The Irish fit in to the Canadian system so well as we are very similar in culture as well as everything else.”  He spoke of his visit to the Titanic Exerience and how the first message received after Titanic went down was to Cape Race in Newfoundland 20 miles south of where he lived and was then relayed to new York.

David Stanton T.D,  spoke of how Ambassador Hearns enthusiasm was infectious and with continued positive encouragement and support Canada and Ireland can work together productively.